Everton are closing in on a deal for Mainz midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
Gbamin has made 95 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit since 2016 and is set to fil the Blues’ current midfield void caused by Idrissa Gueye’s recent departure.
The Ivory Coast international is expected to travel to Merseyside on Thursday to put the finishing touches on a proposed £27.5 million switch to Goodison Park.
Mainz rejected Everton’s initial £23m offer for Gbamin, who did not feature against Marco Silva’s side in a recent pre-season friendly between the clubs.
Both the 23-year-old’s prospective arrival and that of Juventus striker Moise Kean are set to kick-start a frantic final week of the transfer window for the Toffees.
Silva continues to eye a centre-back addition following Phil Jagielka’s departure this summer and remains hopeful of securing a permanent deal for Kurt Zouma.
However Chelsea are yet to offer any firm indications as to whether they will entertain a move for the France defender despite last season’s successful loan.
Everton are also set to offload Henry Onyekuru with Monaco currently willing to take the striker in a transfer which would recoup a fee of around £15m.